Page 71 of I See You

"I’m on the way."Then he hung up before she could respond.

Hassan slid into his car and sped toward Harper’s house, his hands gripping the wheel tight, the sound of her voice replaying in his head.

The only thing he knew for certain—he had to see her.

???

Sevyn lounged on Harper’s couch, half-watching the suspenseful movie Harper had been raving about. She needed the distraction. When Harper called, insisting on a movie night, she didn't hesitate to say yes. Anything to escape the weight of her emotions. Dorian was out with Roman again, the two of them growing closer by the day, and both Sevyn and Harper were happy for her. Sevyn, on the other hand, was still reeling. Just as she thought she was finally moving on from Braxton’s betrayal, she got blindsided all over again. A whole month. He had been sleeping with her best friend for a month, and she never saw it coming. The sting of it all sat heavy in her chest, suffocating her.

“Girl, the girlfriend did it,” Harper announced, snapping Sevyn out of her thoughts.

Sevyn popped a Skittle into her mouth, eyeing the screen. “Nah, it’s the sister.”

Harper gave her a skeptical look. “They’re practically glued at the hip. They’re like me and Hassan—just white and privileged.”

Sevyn chuckled but shook her head. “I grew up privileged, and trust me, that sister is jealous of her brother. They’re nothing like you and Hassan.” Her voice dipped with irritation at the thought, but she kept explaining. “The sister was loved, but she never felt it becauseof what happened to her with her grandfather—his sick ass. And the son? He grew up on love, he had everything handed to him, and now he’s next in line to take over the family business.”

Harper listened intently as Sevyn continued.

“Even though he had his own struggles, he was still getting the better end of the deal. The sister got resentful, acted off emotion. She probably didn’t even mean to kill her brother.”

Harper sat in silence for a moment before she spoke, her voice quieter than before.

“Damn… so exactly like me and Hassan then.”

Sevyn’s head snapped toward her, confusion etched on her face. “What?”

Harper sighed, staring at the screen like she wasn’t really watching it anymore. “Thatisme and Hassan. Hood version. Except I’m the son in this situation… and he’s the daughter.” Her voice cracked, and Sevyn straightened up, realizing Harper wasn’t just talking about the showanymore.

"Hassan went through some real shit when he was younger," Harper admitted, her voice softer now, weighed down by emotions she rarely let show. "He didn't even know me or our grandmother until he was sixteen, even though Grandma always knew about him."

Sevyn listened, her expression shifting, softening.

"He had no real family… not until then. And even though I wasn’t raised by my real parents, I still had a family. I had Madea," Harper continued, her voice laced with guilt Sevyn hadn't heard before. "That’s why he acts the way he does. Maybe he resents us for not saving him sooner."

Sevyn shook her head, unwilling to let Harper carry that burden. "That’s not true. He doesn’t resent you two."

Harper exhaled heavily, her shoulders slumping.

Sevyn leaned forward, determined to make her understand. "He loves you both, more than anything. But you have to remember—he’s still new to having a family. It’s always been just him, surviving on his own, and sixteen in Memphis? That’s damn near grown."

Harper nodded, knowing she was right.

"He’s only twenty-five. That means he's only had you and your grandmother for nine years. And now, when he finally feels like he has people who won’t leave him, the one person you both see as a mother is slipping away," Sevyn explained. "He’s not resentful of you, Harper. He resents the situation. He just hasn’t accepted that this is one thing he can’t control."

Harper wiped at her eyes, exhaling another deep breath, then suddenly let out a short, amused chuckle.

"Bitch, how the fuck do you do that?" she asked, her voice laced with admiration and disbelief.

Sevyn smiled but just shrugged. She never had an answer for it. Her mother always called her a gift, which is why she nicknamed herMiracle. Her full name, Sevyn, was chosen because she was seen as perfect—the number of completion. Her parents had suffered years of miscarriages, heartbreak after heartbreak. But when Sevyn came into the world, she was the miracle that finally made their family whole.

"I wish I had an answer," Sevyn chuckled, shaking her head as they both sat up.

"Well, bitch, we don’t even have to finish this movie now," Harper said, grabbing the remote and clicking it off.

"Wait, why? It was actually getting good!" Sevyn protested, eyes wide as she watched Harper scroll for something else.

"Because yo ass basically figured the shit out already. Ain’t no point in watching it now," Harper said matter-of-factly.

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